SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, CONTINUED
Special Programs and Courses
Biological Sciences 199
The Biological Sciences 199 Undergraduate Research Training Program provides students the opportunity to pursue independent research. Students conduct experimental laboratory, field, or clinical research as an apprentice scientist under the supervision of a professor in the School of Biological Sciences or the School of Medicine. Biological Sciences 199 research students experience the challenge and excitement of the world of science. Students develop new scientific skills and knowledge while training with professors who are on the cutting edge of research and discovery in the biological and medical sciences. The research training may commence as early as the sophomore year or, in the case of exceptional students, in the freshman year.
To participate in this unique research training program, students must be in good academic standing, and completion of the Biological Sciences 194S Safety and Ethics course is mandatory prior to enrollment. Students are encouraged to investigate the possibilities for research early to assure that all requirements and deadlines are met. It is recommended that students contact a faculty sponsor at least one quarter in advance for Biological Sciences 199 enrollment. Once a faculty sponsor is acquired, the student must submit a research abstract and the signed Waiver and Release of Liability and Acknowledgment of the Assumption of Risk form to the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office, 231 Steinhaus Hall. At the end of each quarter a Summary Report is required. The abstract and summary forms are available online only. The Waiver is available online or in hard copy at the Student Affairs Office.
Students cannot participate in research involving human blood, body fluids, or tissue, unless special approval is granted. The faculty sponsor must submit a request for exception to the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office.
Students conducting research directly with patients or other human subjects must comply with special enrollment procedures and the additional safety training required at the clinical site. Visit the Student Affairs Office or the Web site for complete instructions.
The Biological Sciences 199 Undergraduate Research Training Program standards, faculty abstracts, enrollment policies, and announcements are available at http://www.bio.uci. edu/ (click on "Student Affairs."). The first week of each quarter the Biological Sciences 199 Research Program Opportunities and Enrollment Procedures Workshop is conducted. Check the Web site for workshop dates or visit the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office, 231 Steinhaus Hall, for information.
The Biological Sciences 199 Undergraduate Research Training Program can provide experience that is beneficial for the future pursuit of graduate school. Information regarding research careers in the biological sciences is best obtained from a faculty research mentor.
Students should be aware that for any one quarter, a maximum of five units of independent study courses, taken in any school or program, is permitted.
Minority Sciences Programs in Biological Sciences
The Minority Sciences Programs (MSP) in Biological Sciences is a UCI umbrella program that provides infrastructure and orchestration for the operation of minority research training grants supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies. MSP seeks to increase the number of U.S. underrepresented groups in biomedical research careers. MSP participants benefit from early exposure, continuous research training, and faculty mentoring. Support is also provided through paid summer and year-round research internships, access to the latest computer technology, tutoring, academic advising, scientific writing, and participation at national conferences. Furthermore, MSP has established a campuswide, regional, national, and international network of committed faculty and resource programs to facilitate the transition from high school through community college, baccalaureate, and master's degrees to Ph.D. careers in biomedical research and related fields. Additional information is available from the MSP office, 101 Biological Sciences Administration; (949) 824-6463; http://port.bio.uci.edu.
Biological Sciences Tutoring Program
The Tutoring Program provides free tutoring for most Biological Sciences courses and is available to all students in any major. Weekly small group tutoring sessions, reviews for midterms and finals, and a growing online database of worksheets and review materials are provided. In the Tutoring Program, UCI students tutor other UCI students. For the student tutor, this program provides opportunities to develop their teaching abilities, to meet and interact with faculty, and to perform a worthwhile and necessary service. Tutors also receive academic credit. For more information, contact the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office in 231 Steinhaus Hall.
Education Abroad Program
Upper-division students have the opportunity to experience a different culture while making progress toward degree objectives through the Education Abroad Program (EAP). EAP is an overseas study program which operates in cooperation with host universities and colleges throughout the world. Specifically, Biology majors should consider the EAP programs in the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, Australia, Denmark, and Costa Rica. See the Center for International Education section for additional information.
Students may wish to participate in the Education Abroad Program's Tropical Biology Quarter which is for undergraduates with at least one year of introductory biology, one quarter of upper-division biology, and a serious interest in biological studies. The program includes lectures, field laboratories, and independent research, with an emphasis on direct field experience. Students also take a course in Spanish language and Latin American culture.
Master of Science with a Concentration in Biotechnology
The School of Biological Sciences offers a master's program with a concentration in Biotechnology designed to train students to enter the field of biotechnology as skilled laboratory practitioners. The upper-division course requirements for admission into the program are extensive. Students interested in applying for admission to the Biotechnology program should plan to complete the necessary courses during their junior and senior years. See the Graduate Study in Biological Sciences section for more information.
3-2 Program with The Paul Merage School of Business
Outstanding Biological Sciences majors who are interested in a career in management may wish to apply for entry into the 3-2 Program with The Paul Merage School of Business. Students normally apply for this program early in their junior year. See The Paul Merage School of Business section for further information.
Special Research Resources
Special research resources include the Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic, a research, training, and service facility in the area of laser microbeam technology; the School of Biological Sciences Biohazard (P-3) Facility, which provides laboratory facilities for working with biological agents or biological molecules such as recombinant DNA which would be hazardous when used in open laboratories; the Developmental Biology Center, devoted to analyzing the cellular and genetic mechanisms underlying growth, development, and regeneration; the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, a research center for studies of the brain mechanisms underlying learning and memory; the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia; the Center for Virus Research, which includes the Viral Vector Design research group; the Conservation Biology Project; the Cancer Research Institute; the Center for Immunology; the Macromolecular Structure Research Unit; the UCI Arboretum, a botanical garden facility; the San Joaquin Marsh Reserve, which supports controlled marsh biota; the Burns Piñon Ridge Reserve, a high-desert habitat in San Bernardino County; and the UCI Ecological Preserve, which includes coastal hills on the campus, once under heavy grazing, but now returning to a more natural state. It is important to note that the School of Biological Sciences collaborates with the School of Medicine, thereby providing an opportunity for the sharing of both teaching and research activities. These collaborative efforts include the Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics; the Reeve-Irvine Research Center; and the Bio-Imaging Interest Group.
Advising: Academic, Career, Health Sciences
231 Steinhaus
Hall
http://www.bio.uci.edu/students/
Academic Advising
The Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office coordinates the advising program and provides academic counseling as well as special services particularly in the area of preprofessional career counseling. Undergraduate Biological Sciences students should consult the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office for information on academic requirements for the degree, career opportunities, the Biological Sciences 199 Research Program, available tutoring for Biological Sciences courses, Biological Sciences student organizations, and scholarship information. Students can also come to the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office to change their major, apply for graduation, or for any other help they might need related to their academic career at UCI.
All freshmen will enroll in small-group freshman seminars (Biological Sciences 2A) and all other new students will enroll in special sections of Biological Sciences 190.
Peer Academic Advisors. The Peer Academic Advisors are upper-division Biological Sciences majors who bring with them valuable academic and social experiences. Their functions include counseling students in matters of major selection, program planning, petitioning, tutoring, learning skills problems, and participation in cocurricular and extracurricular activities.
The Peer Advisors are located in the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office. Office hours are posted at the beginning of each quarter.
Career Advising
Information on graduate and professional schools in the health sciences can be obtained from the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office. The UCI Career Center provides services to students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, a career library, and workshops on resume preparation, job search, and interview techniques. See the Career Center section for additional information. The Student Affairs Office has developed a complete career library and a close relationship with the Center in an effort to provide current, relevant career information for students.
Areas of opportunity open to those with a Bachelor of Science degree include laboratory technology, publishing, technical editing, pharmaceutical sales, and training programs in county, state, and federal agencies. The bachelor's degree is necessary to pursue studies leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.
The B.S. degree, plus short training periods, may prepare students for employment in education, medical technology (usually one year), physical therapy, and various other areas.
Education (community colleges, state colleges, or private schools), medical illustration, and public health (which includes hospital administration, biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, social work, public health education, maternal and child health, and infectious and tropical diseases) are fields in which opportunities are available upon completion of a master's program.
The Ph.D. degree may lead to research in many areas, among them biochemistry, biometeorology, botany, cytology, ecology, fishery biology, genetics, home economics, microbiology, molecular biology, pathology, physiology, psychobiology, public health, range management, soil conservation, and zoology.
Other areas where advanced degrees are necessary include medicine, dentistry, law, optometry, podiatry, osteopathy, and veterinary medicine.
Health Sciences Advising
Advising for careers in the health sciences is a specialty of the Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office. Students desiring to enter the health sciences should have their programs checked in the Office and should plan to enroll in Biological Sciences 3A. Admissions tests for medical, dental, pharmacy, and graduate schools should be taken in the spring, a year and one-half before the student plans to enter.
Leaders in nearly all health professional schools recommend that students preparing to seek admission to their schools plan to obtain a bachelor's degree. Students who plan to enter a school of dentistry, medicine, or other areas of the health sciences may receive the required preprofessional training at UCI. This preprofessional training may be accomplished by (1) completing the major in Biological Sciences or (2) major
ing in any school or department and fulfilling concurrently the specific course requirements of the dental, medical, or other professional school the student expects to attend.
Students interested in the health sciences should choose electives in the social sciences, possibly a foreign language, physical chemistry, or other specific courses required or recommended by graduate schools.
The Biological Sciences Student Affairs Office offers specialized services, for a fee, to all students applying to postgraduate professional schools in the health sciences, including a personal file containing the student's letters of recommendation, and a service of sending all recommendations for a student to professional and graduate schools.
Student Participation
A wide variety of student associations, clubs, and groups provide opportunities for School of Biological Sciences students to participate in different types of activities and events. The groups are wide ranging and include nationally recognized honors societies such as Alpha Epsilon Delta, volunteer service organizations such as the Flying Sams, specialized groups such as the UCI Sports Medicine Club, and more. Detailed information about the numerous options is available online at http://www.bio.uci.edu/students/Current/content_organizations.html.